Ah, the classic first episode, the one which
introduced
us to most of the characters that would mold the Pokemon anime into
what
it is today. I like how it started like the Red/Blue games do, with a
Nidorino
battling a Gengar on what appeared to be a Game Boy screen, before the
picture
cleared up and they were shown in their anime form on the TV in Ash's
room.
I always liked how they set up Ash's character in this episode: one can
easily
see that he's determined, but in those early days not all that
responsible
(the whole oversleeping thing). We also got introduced to Gary, Ash's
longtime
rival, and one of the first mysteries of the show started right then:
who
was Gary's starting Pokemon? For a long time, it was widely believed to
be
Eevee, but that idea was squashed in the recent episode "The Ties that
Bind".
The good-bye scene was classic, establishing Delia's character right
away
(she couldn't help reminding Ash to change his underwear, even after
getting
shocked by Pikachu). The scenes with Pidgey and Rattata were classic
too,
with Ash trying to catch Pidgey with his pajama shirt, and the Pokedex
hinting
that Ash is a 'stupid traveller'. A bit of the dialogue might sound a
bit
corny compared to the writing in more recent episodes, most notably
Ash's
soliloquy near the beginning and his speech to the Spearow when he
stood
between them and Pikachu, but this isn't really a bad thing. For some
reason,
it's just one of the things that makes this episode a classic.
And of course, we have the memorable first meeting with Misty that
*apparently*
served as her reason for travelling with Ash as long as she has. At
least,
that encounter, resulting in her bike being destroyed, was the excuse
she
ended up falling back on a few times during the first season. It was
funny
when she asked "Are you all right?" and Ash thought she was talking to
him
when she was actually referring to Pikachu.
Can't really complain about this episode, since it set the stage for
the
entire anime, hence the high score.